


After the 21st Century Cyber War

by puddintan3



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Childbirth, F/M, Original Character Death(s), War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 21:45:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10396818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puddintan3/pseuds/puddintan3
Summary: Years after Felicity's involvement with Helix and Pandora began, she and Curtis rebuilt them into something the cyber world had never seen before. It plays a central role in the "21st Century Cyber War" which touches not only The United States of America, but the entire financial base of the world. She knew that it had to be done, and it did its job. Cleaning up the aftermath will not be easy. Oliver Queen is now in a motorized chair, broken, but not defeated. He lost someone in the war. Both proud and deeply saddened, the first step is going to be extra hard for him.Two things inspired this story:1.) Meeting distant relations at yet another funeral, and the funeral of my best friend's (and best man) father who proudly served in World War II, Korea, and who spent time in Alaska overseeing the construction of the Alaska Pipeline, retiring as an Army Lieutenant Colonel. He was my science teacher and occasional golfing companion. Please, if you have one of our WWII vets still living, have a talk with them. They are going away now.2.) Watching the movie "Pearl Harbor". We've been there. Saw the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This AU story, set many years into the future, is sad but happy, with some violence and mind games. I'll admit my military knowledge is limited, so I would appreciate comments that improve the accuracy. Of course, anything could be different by the time this happens. A post apocalyptic dystopia is the setting.
> 
> This might or might not be your "cup of tea". Some of the story takes hints of the present to imagine the future where things don't go well for the world, and especially in The United States of America. Warnings from our history that have been ignored will force us not to repeat history, but finally suffer the consequences.

**Prologue**

A different kind of war inside the United States of America began slowly at first, then things went downhill really fast. Unlike the Civil War in the 1860s, only a small number of citizens were directly affected by violence and destruction. The eastern side of the country lost power, the internet, and cable news when each side targeted key satellites, ground relays, infrastructure controls, and buried fiber optic cables. Satellite, rocket plants, and launch facilities that were highly dependent on computers to design, build, and control nearly everything just sat spewing error messages constantly. Automated manufacturers had to scramble to hire and train people again because robots without software and firmware are useless.

Most of the actual armed fighting happened around Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, some capital cities in various states, and some interventions overseas. Elite special forces, mainly our own joined by the British, Germans, Australia, and our neighbors in Canada, worked as quietly behind the scenes as possible at first, but as Loyalists began to resist more, Patriots had to come out from the dark to finish them, exposing the fight to the public.

Law enforcement, the military, and other public institutions designed to protect the public deteriorated into chaos as too much depended on cyber systems for command and control. Ships, aircraft, and other war machinery sat dead since no command system was working to even turn them on. Police who depended heavily on databases to keep records and direct their resources had to revert to whiteboards and paper records, causing everything to grind to a halt. People were needed, but without budgets and the fact that the generations who knew the old ways were dying off, re-establishing a workable system across the nation became too big.

Before this got started, Felicity S. Queen took time to earn her PhD in cyber terrorism. Her experience with defeating Helix and ensuring Pandora was no longer a threat made her a valuable asset both sides wanted. But, after the hard lessons she had learned, there was no choice but to be with the Patriots to save democracy and freedom from the powerful ultra wealthy globalists who had hoped to use Pandora to rule the world by establishing monopolies and destroying free governments. Dr. Felicity Queen's former ownership of Palmer Tech gave her the opportunity to establish Smoak Systems with a carefully structured business plan to keep her as CEO permanently. That, of course, was her day job.

Deep in the dark reaches of cyberspace, Felicity and Curtis with the aid of some carefully chosen ex-Helix members, were able to tame Helix and the Pandora data to help them fight The Loyalists who were backed by huge globalist money interests. Together, they built the first networked mega hacker application, "Megan's Monster", that goes way beyond viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, and what exists now. All Felicity had to do was log in, pass a retinal scanner, and random fingerprint reader, and insert a special key into a port Curtis built to be as tamper-proof as possible. Curtis followed the same steps on a separate system that set the two systems to exchange various "handshakes" before becoming a single, locked system called "Megan's" for short.

Once Megan's was started, there was no turning back without both of them there at the same time. Curtis took a large sum of untraceable cash and disappeared. Only a deep, dark secret known only to them could unlock the means for her to call him back. Because of what Prometheus did to break Oliver, they designed this where nothing could ever force them to give up this key.

First, they managed to interface Megan's into the spy agencies' tracking systems, keeping constant surveillance on the once hidden masterminds who manipulated economies to reward or punish nations in order to rule them. Now, these once powerful brokers suffered night and day as their locations were leaked to the angry, hungry, unemployed workers of the world who they had ironically armed to the teeth.

Next, Megan's was quietly turned loose on the financial resources of the Loyalists while at the same time releasing enormous amounts of evidence of crime and corruption inside governments and corporations, using existing and new social media to deliver reliable proof of what was going on. The globalists' wealth became doubtful as Megan's scrambled financial data worldwide to the point that the majority of the virtual money and wealth could no longer be determined accurately. The value of stocks and paper money disappeared. Offshore tax havens were hit hard as Megan's infested them, siphoning off data for use in the future against the criminal empires while scrambling account information at the same time. Soon, none of the elite tyrants could legally prove the value of their holdings or transfer wealth around to hide it, effectively bankrupting them.

* * *

Our story picks up where the Patriot forces have overwhelmed the Loyalists to the point where they had no choice but to surrender themselves into the hands of very pissed off citizens who have had to build various insufficient substitutes to replace the rule of law that kept the greedy under control.

* * *

 

**Chapter 1: A Boy Leaves, A Hero Returns**

Oliver wakes as the sound of high heels click closer. He rubs his sleepy eyes as a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. She kisses his cheek and sighs as both stare out the big airport window waiting for the jet to come. Outside they can see the brightly lit Navy SEAL honor guard still standing still and silent in the cold rain. Over to the right, Samantha Clayton sits dressed head to toe in black. She dabs her eyes as she weeps alone.

"Babe, it's the right thing to do. Go ahead and sit with her awhile. You're all that's left in this world of his life. I want you to, okay?" Felicity kisses his cheek gently and pats his back as she urges him on.

Oliver flips the switch on his motorized wheelchair and heads over. Samantha turns to see him approaching.

"Commander Patrick says the weather has let up and the plane should be able to get in ahead of the storm. They'll have an hour's break in the rain to bring him to us."

Samantha nods, then softly asks, "I am so torn. He loved his country so much that he was determined to make Her free again, and when it came down to the last job to be done, he willingly gave his life to do it. He is legendary now. But to us, the people who brought him into the world, he's still a good little boy sitting in the floor playing with his Flash and Green Arrow toys. If only things hadn't happened the way they did, you would have been there to see him grow. I was so selfish to keep him away from you."

Oliver bows his head and rubs his forehead with his good hand. "We did the best for him we could with what we knew. I kept the promises about him at a terrible price. But sending the two of you to hide in Russia turned out to be the right thing. Strange that the only honorable man I could trust then was Anatoly. Because he was my son, I knew that Anatoly would take care of him like one of his own."

"He treated both of us as his family and made sure that we were safe and well taken care of. I talked to him recently and he said proudly that Bill will always be his favorite American" she says with a little smile.

Commander James Patrick and his pallbearer detail come through the door to the stairwell leading down to the ramp. His immaculate crisp full dress white uniform with the actual medals is a sight to behold. "Ma'am, sir. The plane is 10 minutes out. Once it is parked and they give us the go-ahead this detail will escort you outside. Admiral Washington will greet you, then we will have you stand as we bring out the casket. Once we finish the ceremony, the casket will be loaded. There will be a brief pause before the hearse drives away. Since the Capitol Rotunda was destroyed, we will take the body to The Naval Observatory for the closed-casket viewing."

"Will...will I ever see our...boy?" Samantha struggles through her sobs.

"No ma'am. There cannot be a viewing because of the condition of the remains. Let me assure you at Dover Air Force Base they dressed his remains in his dress whites as you requested with loving care. The Congressional Medal of Honor neck ribbon has been placed and the medal attached to his chest. His other medals are in place as well. Here are the photos of his medals in place for each of you." Since Oliver can't reach for his, Cdr. Patrick slips them into his pocket. He heads back out as the detail waits.

Samantha cries as she takes out her phone and brings up the last selfie he sent her a week ago. He is all smiles in his Navy Lieutenant Commander's service blue uniform, out in the bright Sun. She scrolls until she sees him with his fiancée Wendy Maxwell at their engagement party five months ago. Then, she frantically searches for what they call "the family picture" with her, Bill, Oliver, Felicity, Thea, and Olivia being held by her big brother John. Everyone had met after Bill's 21st birthday as he was headed back to The Naval Academy to finish his last year of engineering. She touches the image with her finger, then closes her eyes to somehow will him to come back to her.

Bill had listened to the recording Oliver made him those years ago. Of course by then, everyone knew who The Green Arrow was. As he and his mother stayed away, Anatoly would sit with him and tell tales about his father. Now that he was of age, he felt that call, that urge to oppose the crooks and elite parasites of the world. He wanted his dad and Aunt Lissy to be proud.

Oliver turns his chair at the sound of two sets of heels tapping toward the group. Felicity has her arm around Wendy's back. Wendy bends down to Oliver for a hug around his neck, then sits next to Samantha. They hug each other tight and cry together for a few minutes. Felicity puts her arms around Oliver and softly says in his ear, "Thea and Roy are stuck in the security line but should be here shortly." Ensign Nathan Drew, in charge of the detail hears her, "I'll go get them on through, ma'am. Master Chief Marshall, you will be in charge. Try to wait for me to get them here." "Aye aye, sir!" the chief replies.

"Sounds like the rain stopped and I hear the jet pulling in. Hon, did you check the elevator? Oliver strains to reach for Felicity's hand on his chest. "Yes, you're all set." She rubs his shoulder gently.

Hurried footsteps approach as Thea pushes little Tommy in his stroller with Roy on her heels. "Ollie? Are we too late?" Felicity steps back to let her sister-in-law hug and kiss her brother. "No, Speedy, but it won't be long now. The jet just pulled in."

Thea hugs Felicity tight and looks around, "Where's the 'Wrecking Crew' tonight?"

Felicity shakes her head as she holds back a chuckle. She bends down to greet little Tommy and tells him in her mommy voice, "The 'Crew' had to stay home because the twins Emily and Abigail, found the color Sharpies and decided to make mom's freshly painted white walls in the great room 'purdy fo Aunt Te-a and Uncle Roy'. Johnny and his girlfriend are watching them. Olivia is at Uncle John and Aunt Lyla's for a sleepover with Sara."

"Oooh! Johnny has a girlfriend now?" Thea teases.

"He met Leslie Drake at summer camp. When he sent me a picture Dinah was surprised to see her cousin's daughter! We are now engaged in full-on sixteen year old romance with braces, ponytails, whispers to daddy about [whispers] girls. [normal voice] He walks away confused most of the time until mom here can [rolls her eyes] set him straight."

"Oh, how cute! Johnny is going to have his hands full. Is he still graduating early to go to MIT?"

"Oliver and I are keeping a sharp eye on him. He aces almost everything except English and history. We've had to restrict his access until he gets those two grades better. And of course, last Thursday I was passing by his room where he was [air quotes] 'studying' and had to take a double-take. He was looking at pictures from 'Maxim' and 'FHM' instead of studying the 'heavenly bodies' for his astronomy assignment. I started to punish him, but one look at me [starts giggling and short of breath] looking at him and I could see he got the message. He knows I check his browser history occasionally which usually leads to us having a talk about certain sites. Later, he comes slowly down the hall to make sure Oliver isn't there, then comes to me with a big hug and apologizes, 'I'm sorry mom. You're the prettiest mom ever!' And of course, I bought it. You know how Queen men are with their flattery."

"The little guy reminds me of a certain sixteen year old from long ago who failed miserably at trying to butter-up mom!" Thea laughs and shakes her head as she tells Tommy, "Don't plan on doing that with me you little rascal!" Tommy giggles as Thea tickles his bare belly poking from under his shirt.

The door opens and Cdr. Patrick motions to Ensign Drew. "Okay family, grab your gear and follow me out. Chief, assist Mr. and Dr. Queen to the elevator, oh, and you with the stroller?" "Thea Harper" "Ms. Harper go with them too. Everyone watch your step. It's still very wet out."

The group puts on their jackets, coats, gloves, and scarves. Felicity follows Oliver to the elevator with Thea and Tommy beside her. Chief Marshall presses the call button and holds the door until all are in. The short ride down ends and the door opens. The chief holds the door for everyone to exit.

The honor guard has taken their positions. The pallbearers position themselves to receive the casket at the bottom of the conveyor.

Admiral Washington comes over to greet each of them, followed by the chaplain, Lieutenant Commander Russell Gordon who shows them where to stand.

Admiral Washington steps up to the microphone. "Our grateful nation cannot possibly thank you enough for the courage and patriotism of Lieutenant Commander William "Bill" Clayton and his ultimate sacrifice given to restore Freedom, Liberty, and our government of We the People out of the hands of tyrants and traitors. Rarely do we ever know who fires the last shot to finally bring peace, but there is no doubt that Lt. Cdr. Clayton's critical shots to finally silence a madman and his co-conspirators bent on the destruction of The Free World, brought the rest of those foolish enough to follow him to surrender. We grieve to have to take such measures, but thankfully patriots like Lt. Cdr. Clayton and the other special forces sworn to protect all of the people could no longer stand by as they watched in horror while cowardly little men and women with hate in their hearts worked day and night to turn back the clock past 1776 and allow the few to rule over us as did King George III of England. The precious spilt blood of our men and women who have served our nation honorably cried out to them to rise up lest their sacrifices for people to be free be judged to have been in vain and fallen short. Now, let us all honor him as he now stands above us alongside our legions of patriots, founders, and others of good will who believed that tyranny should be ground to dust under Liberty's heel."

Master Chief Marshall, "Atten-tion!." The container is opened in the cargo area. The flag-draped casket is gently removed and placed on the conveyor. Master Chief Marshall commands "present...arms!" as it makes its way down to the pallbearers. In a single motion, they lift the casket and face to the front. With Chaplain Gordon reciting a prayer as he leads the way, they slowly step together as one, carrying the casket to the hearse. When Gordon completes the prayer and steps to the side, they gently place the casket on the rollers and move it inside. The funeral director locks the casket in place securely, then gets in. Master Chief Marshall orders, "order...arms!"

Admiral Washington and Chaplain Gordon come back over to offer thanks to the group and condolences. After a short casual chat, Washington and Gordon leave. Ensign Drew escorts the group back inside while Chief Marshall assists the others to the elevator.

Back inside, everyone gathers around Samantha, Wendy, and Oliver.

"Samantha, Wendy and I appreciate you being with us tonight as Bill came back home. In the next few days, we all will be the center of attention as ceremonies are held. Be assured that we will all have guards and details with us around the clock. There are still a few stray Loyalists about, so let these people do their jobs to keep you safe. We have a catered dinner ready when we get home. Our staff will help you with your things and take you to your rooms. Pray the generator doesn't run out of fuel tonight or we'll all be taking cold showers in the morning. Lights will shut down promptly at 11:30 PM unless there is an emergency which drops to half capacity. Get stuff charged right away. We will see you all there." Everyone gathers their things and follows their security details out.

Felicity comes around his motor chair and gives him a tearful warm hug followed by a gentle kiss. "I love you Oliver. I'm so sorry..."

"Baby, we did what had to be done. I wish I could have seen Bill more. Somehow he took after his "Aunt Lissy". Smart, working hard, always wanting to do his very best which didn't leave him much free time. The few times when he came to visit during his breaks at Annapolis were special to me, but he told me that he loved you with all of his heart, too. Introducing him to Wendy was the most wonderful thing you could have done for him. Let's hope their baby, boy or girl, gets a little of you in them, too. I love you. [deep affectionate kiss] We have a house packed full to the rafters tonight, so let's get going."

"I'm right behind you, 'Hot Wheels'! Take it easy, my mommy legs are tired." Felicity chuckles as the security detail escorts them to the van. She texts Johnny to let him know they are coming home.

[Johnny Queen] "The twins finally ran out of steam and are sound asleep cuddled up together. The caterers have everything ready. Okay if Leslie stays?"]

[Felicity Queen] "You know the rules. Have Alice or Matt text me. Did she bring her bag?]

[Johnny Queen] "She brought her backpack with everything."]

[Felicity Queen] "Even that yukky girl stuff?"]

[Johnny Queen] "Yes ma'am. LY <3"

[Felicity Queen] "LY 2! <3"]

"Okay, let me unlock the van and lower the lift." Suddenly Oliver freezes and stares off into the distance. "Oliver? What...did you forget anything?"

 **"HIT THE GROUND! NOW!"** Oliver shouts.

Felicity's reflexes take over as she gets down behind his motor chair. "What is it? Where?"

They both can hear bullets whiz by as a security man covers Oliver until a second team member joins him.

"Rooftop across the street. Stay down and don't move." Oliver bends over as far as he can while two men in heavy body armor stand blocking the shooter from Felicity and him.

The security team jumps into action with their pistols as one of the team retrieves his Barrett .50 M82A1 rifle. He saw the shooter's head just before ducking down. He aims at the brick wall just below that and fires. Screams of pain fill the cool night air as the BMG round penetrated the wall. For the second shot, he aims a little lower. This one finds its victim. Complete silence.

"Dr. and Mr. Queen, an armored vehicle is a couple of blocks away. I strongly urge you to take it."

"Fine with us. Stay down until it gets here, Baby." Oliver responds as he maneuvers his chair to scan around.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Updates may be slow as I have other stories already in progress. 
> 
> Please leave a comment. Remember, be nice.


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